Ten years ago today, I was enjoying my last days as a "free" woman. I was a young mother-to-be, anxiously anticipating my baby boy's grand entrance into the world. I was so bloated that my wedding rings had been cut from my fingers because I couldn't get them off. I was on ordered bedrest. I was mean and cranky, I'm sure. I was also terrifed.
I'm the oldest of four children and one of the oldest among a gaggle of cousins, so I'd been around a baby more than once and was always the number one choice for babysitter among my aunts and uncles. This, however, was entirely different. I knew that I wanted to be a great mom, but had no idea how much work that would be. I'm not talking about 2am feedings, or sick babies that somehow manage to sneeze, puke and poop all at the same time... I'm talking about how difficult it would be to become selfless, and I admit that I did a pretty crappy job for most of it. I'm still learning every single day what it takes to be a "good" mom.
Somehow, amid all of the chaos of the last five years, my son has turned into a charming, shy, smart-as-a-whip little mini-man. He has a great sense of humor, is compassionate, and has a good temper on him. He doesn't throw huge tantrums, but he'll argue his case like Johnny Cochran used to. He's this great combination of his mother's stubbornness and his father's laid-back attitude. He's protective and won't be bullied. He likes to be the leader, though he's not yet the first to step up to the challenge. He's reserved and cautious with strangers, but he's a hoot once he warms up to ya. He makes me laugh out loud over things like "where did the word 'nincompoop' come from, mom?". He's a pokemon-playing, country song-singing, basketball-throwing miracle of mine.
Somehow, amid all of the chaos of the last five years, my son has turned into a charming, shy, smart-as-a-whip little mini-man. He has a great sense of humor, is compassionate, and has a good temper on him. He doesn't throw huge tantrums, but he'll argue his case like Johnny Cochran used to. He's this great combination of his mother's stubbornness and his father's laid-back attitude. He's protective and won't be bullied. He likes to be the leader, though he's not yet the first to step up to the challenge. He's reserved and cautious with strangers, but he's a hoot once he warms up to ya. He makes me laugh out loud over things like "where did the word 'nincompoop' come from, mom?". He's a pokemon-playing, country song-singing, basketball-throwing miracle of mine.
Tonight, we're celebrating his birthday with family. He gets to continue the celebration over the weekend with his school friends, and finish it off on Monday night with dinner of his choice. His request? Pizza! See how great he is?! I don't even have to cook! ;)
P.S. The picture above is from his 8th birthday, but it was all I had on my work laptop for some reason... I'm going to work to put together a slideshow of his first decade over the weekend (and yes, I'm the kind of mom that will make sure all of his school friends see it, ha!)
3 comments:
Hi Lisa.
There's nothing wrong to be a show-off mom, especially when it's your son's birthday.. I felt happy reading your post. I'm sure you're more of an "awesome" mom than you'd like to claim.
Life is a lesson. I know if I get married one day and have kids, I'll be thrown into the same place as you too. But as long as you give it your best, even at the worst of times, you'll always be proud of what comes next, even if it didn't come out so "grand".
Best of luck for another 10 years! *^_~*
Happy birthday to your son :) Mine turned 16 this past week. Where do the years go? I can remember when he learned to ride a two-wheeler bike so clearly...
Aww..Happy birthday to your boy!!
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